The end is nigh for the former Penetanguishene Secondary School (PSS).
Budget Demolition, which was recently awarded the contract to demolish the building, will be working in the edifice this week doing general, nonabatement-related clean-up.
During this time, demolition crews will also be setting perimeter fencing to control access to the site. General clean-up will take approximately two weeks to complete, with an additional four to six weeks to complete abatement.
“The significance of this property and memories it holds for our community members were not forgotten during this process,” Penetanguishene Mayor Doug Leroux said. “Town staff did an exceptional job at hosting two PSS memorial walk-throughs to allow those interested a moment to say farewell.”
This event also provided community members with the opportunity to request items from the building that, otherwise, would be demolished with the structure.
“The uptake on item requests was astonishing,” said Sherry Desjardins, the town’s recreation and community services director.
“Staff received over 160 requests for items in the building. Although we did receive many duplicate requests, we are hopeful that everyone will be able to acquire at least one token of memorabilia.”
Remaining contents have been offered to local charity organizations in an effort to reduce waste.
The town opted to demolish the building after learning extensive work, including asbestos abatement, would be needed to make it functional.
The town purchased the property from the Simcoe County District School Board for nearly $1.3 million last Christmas Eve with the sale finalized earlier this year.
While the initial site inspections prior to the purchase led the town and the town’s third-party appraiser to believe the facility is in relatively good condition, a further assessment report suggested that interior and exterior components of the building needed extensive work completed over the next five to 10 years with estimates pegging the work in the $14-million range.
The demolition, meanwhile, will cost about $1.5 million, a figure that includes a pre-demolition survey and specification work as well as contract administration.
